CHITRAL: The local leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have joined those protesting against alleged irregularities in appointment of class-IV employees in different hospitals in the district.

District president of the party’s lawyers wing Mukhtar Ali Shah advocate and another activist Nabaik Sharakat Kalash told a press conference here on Tuesday that both the PTI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leaders were involved in violation of merit. They were flanked by the elites of Yarkhoon and Laspur valleys of Upper Chitral district.

They said that the two political parties having their MPAs in the district had got appointed the persons from Lower Chitral district on class-IV posts in the hospitals of Upper Chitral, which was a clear violation of merit.

They warned the government that if the controversial appointment orders were not withdrawn and local persons of the villages near the hospitals not appointed then the villagers would stage protest demonstrations.

They also demanded of the chief minister to order inquiry against the district health officer for the appointments.

NEW FARES: The people of Chitral have shown surprise over the fixing of a single fare of passenger coaches between Peshawar and Chitral at Rs518 by the Provincial Transport Authority, saying they have been paying Rs1,100 fare on the same route for last six years.

The people claimed that the revised fare for Peshawar-Chitral route issued two days ago showed the RTA’s ignorance about the existing fares.

Former village nazim Sajjad Ahmed said that the transporters had been fleecing commuters of Chitral on Peshawar route despite completion of the Lowari tunnel and shortening of the journey by two hours.

He said that the district administration in Chitral and RTA in Peshawar had failed to harmonise the fares of both passenger and goods transport vehicles, putting the poor people at the mercy of transporters.

He said that the government should ensure implementation of the revised fare on the Chitral-Peshawar route.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2020